GREED

The refusal of MGM to exhibit GREED in the director’s cut made it the greatest cause celebre in film history. Yet even in the version released – offered here in a particularly fine print – it is one of the most powerful films from any period. The unrelentingly grim story must have seemed out of place in Hollywood, but Stroheim’s painstaking attention to detail, use of location, and ability to extract great performances showed what cinema could achieve.